title: Management of primary, operable breast cancer in Victoria.
abstract: The study aimed to describe the surgical treatment in cases of primary, operable breast cancer in Victoria. All patients who were entered in a population-based cancer registry and who met the entry criteria over a six-month period were identified. In respect of each patient, the treating surgeon completed a questionnaire about patient characteristics, investigations, tumour description, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. For 716 eligible cases, 635 (89%) questionnaires were returned by 200 treating surgeons; this gave a mean rate of 6.3 breast-cancer patients per surgeon per year. Most (61%) surgeons treated one to four breast-cancer patients per year and only 4% of surgeons treated more than 20 breast-cancer patients each. Little systematic difference was found in the treatment approach that was adopted by the surgeons with heavy or light case-loads of patients with breast cancer. Twenty-two per cent of patients underwent breast-conserving operations. Virtually all the remainder underwent mastectomy, most commonly modified radical mastectomy.
authors.affiliation: Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria, Carlton.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Giles
authors.forename: I S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Mapperson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D015411:Mastectomy, Modified Radical; D015413:Mastectomy, Simple; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D014739:Victoria